Pastor's Column

March 1, 2015

In our reading from the Book of Genesis, Abraham is asked by God to sacrifice his only son Isaac. Abraham behaves in this circumstance as the complete model of the just one who, with total trust in God, obeys Him, whatever is asked. In Isaac rested the promise of posterity made to the patriarch. We are reminded that faith in the promise must never be taken for granted: it is always put to the test, in one way or another. Sometimes God seems to contradict Himself, to be bent on thwarting the realization of what He has promised. There are times when we have to muster all our trust to continue to walk in the presence of God, who seems to elude us. To cry out to God in our distress is not a lack of faith, but is, perhaps, the expression of our hope in His goodness and mercy.

In St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans, he explains the great act of love which sets us free from sin and death. The Father allows the Son to be “handed over” to death, like a sinner condemned by the law. But He was not a sinner: He made of His death the supreme act of His love for the Father and for the sinners He had come to save. By dying on the cross He thus conquered death and sin; He broke the connection between the two. This is why death was unable to hold Him. He was restored to life; risen, He returned to the right hand of the Father. His victory is that of the whole human race. Very simply, God sided with us in a way and with an efficacy no one could have imagined. Such are the facts, such is our faith: God has delivered up His own Son for us all. This certainty keeps us from losing hope when we are discouraged and experience the dark moments of our lives, for in the end we belong to Christ.

In today’s gospel passage, Mark talks about the Transfiguration of Christ—on the mountain, his clothes dazzling white, and Moses and Elijah on either side of Him. Entranced, Peter speaks of setting up “tents” so that this moment of glory would be permanent but the moment fades quickly as the voice from the cloud says, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” The apostles believed in the resurrection but could not make the connection with the Transfiguration they had just witnessed. Jesus was preparing them for the scandal of the cross and His death. When Good Friday comes, He will be on a mountain not between Elijah and Moses but between two robbers. They could not understand the prediction of His passion, death, and resurrection—the Father’s plan for saving the world and destroying sin and death. This moment of glory is given to them for the future when Jesus fulfills the will of the Father on Calvary. We, too, are given moments of glory in our lives when the Lord Jesus reveals His light and love to us that carry us through the dark moments of our journey through this world.